Westlife fans in Northern Ireland have a treat in store tomorrow night - the boys will be appearing on UTV Life! What's more, you may even get a sneak peak tonight, so make sure you tune in between 5.30pm and 6pm...

Credit/Source: www.westlife.com

Ten years is a long time in the music industry, and when you started out as a boyband and have successfully made the transition to adult performers without loosing any of your appeal - or your aqbility to create number one hits - its a lifetime.

Due to reach that milestone next year, Westlife plan to celebrate by taking a year off after their arena tour ends in Sprin - but they insist theyre not going anywhere. Rumours of a split have been doing the orund since at least 2002. However the boys are admant that they just need some well earned relaxation and rest. Kian Egan is planning to travel around Australia with his girlfriend, actress Jodi Albert, while his bandmates want to spend more time with their partners and families.

After 9 years in the spotlight - thats three times as long as 1980's pop duo Wham! - you can hardly blame them. Their story began in Sligo, north western Ireland, when Kian, Shane and Mark, together with three other lads, formed the band I.O.U. Once SImon Cowell got involved, threee of the original band members were ditched and Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden were added. A support slot for Boyzone at Dublin gig confirmed their hearthrob status in 1998 and its been non stop hits and adulation ever since.
The band has charted a staggering 14 number ones in the Uk, a figure only beten by ELvis and the Beatles, and ahve sold over 40 million albums worldwide. All of which makes the critiscism that theyre just four guys perched on bar stools with no perosnality fairly easy for them to shrug off.
In any case, as anyone who has ever gone out partying with them will testify, it simply isnt true. Okay, so they may not be up there with the likes of Pete and Amy,but theyre not exactly The Osmonds, either, Mark Feehily ,who came out in 2005,and is now happily dating Kevin Mcdadi(formerly of boyband V) is apparantely banned from LA's trendiest hotel fro throwing htings out of the window.-pretty rock and roll for a nice lad from Sligo. Back in 2000 when the lads hit the bars with their supposed rivals The Backstreet Boys, the two bands managed to run up a 30 000 pound bar bill
There tour kicks off in Liverpool on 29 February,but in the meanwhile fans can tune into a live tv show special this weekend. Hosted by Holly Willoughby the show will feature exclusive new material from Westlife's Back home album. which was released last month and wnet straight to the top of the album charts. The boys also prom,ise some "extra speical guests" and plenty of surprises,although they are keeoing schtum about and what they are. There will be a couple of really good ones, but we wont reveal them yet, says Kian.

Its the first such programme they have made and they are all very excited about it. "Were thrilled"says Shane. "We still get a buzz out of performing in front of an audience,especially if its a live show like this one. Its even more exciting then."

Of the ten tracks performed on the night, five will ahve been chosen by the bands supportes, who were invited to vote online for their favourite numbers ones. Those in the running include Flying without wings, Mandy, World of our own, My love, unbreakable and You rasie me up, which Shane admits he is sneakily hoping will be amongst thoses that make the final cut. "Everytime we sing it, we never get sick of it"he explains.

The band have performed duets with some of the legends inthe music industry including Diana Ross, Mariah Carey,Donny osmond, Lulu and Lionel Ritchie, so the potential guest list from their tv special is rich and varied. However the smart money is on an appareance by mentors Louis Walsh,SImon Cowell and Ronan Keating.

And anone pining for Kian, Nicky Shane and Mark, in the ad breaks could be in for an unexpected treat - the band are currently starring in an advert for The Post Offices new broadband internet service. Their actng skills might not have the RSC beating a path to their door, but they come across as sweet and likable. And more happy to take the mickey out of themselves.

Having virtually grown up in a business that has swallowed up many of there peers,Westlife's longevity is a result of their ability to transcend the boyband tag. Its certainly not something they take for granted, however. The past decade has seen may career highlights as well as a few low points,but when asked to pick just one, Kian does not hesiate for a moment, "Still being together"he says,"We are very proud of that".

Credit/Source: Hello! Magazine / Thanx Joanne for typing it up

Yay after just 5 weeks in the albums chart 'Back Home' is at No.13 up from last week's 23 at the top selling albums of 2007 in the UK untill now!

It looks like they will be in the Top10 next week. Well done lads! They have sold 443,576 albums of 'Back Home' in the UK.

Also, as promised here are the midweeks sales information for Monday:

1. Leona Lewis - 58.000
2. Westlife - 27.500
3. Michael Buble - 24.500

Credit/Source: Haven

Yeepee! 'Back Home' holds on to No.2 on Tuesday's midweeks albums sales in the UK. We don't have sales info at the moment but I will edit if we have any during the day.

1. Leona Lewis (1)
2. Westlife (2)
3. Michael Buble (21)

'Home' is still in the Top20 in the midweeks singles chart.

Credit/Source: Haven

There's a very special treat hiding behind door eleven on the RCA advent calendar - a Christmas message from Westlife! Click here to watch it.

While you're there, take a peek behind some of the previous doors to see videos from the likes of Leona, Shayne, Annie Lennox and The Hoosiers.

Credit/Source: www.westlife.com

Yesterday, Mark asked who you think he'd like to play him in a movie about his life.

Did you guess correctly? Find out by watching the video below.

Click Here To Watch

Credit/Source: www.westlife.com

Calling all Northern Irish Westlife fans...how would you like to be involved in a special documentary about the band for Ulster TV?

If you're interested, send an email to jkwestlifeshow@yahoo.com saying why you're the biggest Westlife fan in the country!

Credit/Source: www.westlife.com

Watch the Irish chart-toppers talk about Christmas, Friday 30th November 2007

Click Here To Watch

Credit/Source: www.whatsontv.co.uk / www.brandrepublic.com

By Alan Jones

Christmas cheers the album market again, with sales last week increasing by over a million from the previous week, climbing 23.6% to 5,355,066.

Compilations performed better than artist albums last week, increasing their sales by 29.9% week-on-week to 1,476,766. They also provided the entire album sector’s top performer yet again, with Now! 68 selling a further 186,641 buyers, beating artist album chart topper, Leona Lewis’s Spirit by a few thousand sales.

The first album to spend four weeks at number one this year, Spirit increased its sales by 10% last week to 180,944, taking its 27 day sales tally to a massive 918,536, while climbing into third place in the year-to-date rankings.

The only other album to achieve a six figure sale was Westlife’s Back Home, which enjoyed a 20.6% improvement to 100,895, taking its five week total to 443,576.

Leona Lewis continues to dominate the singles chart, where Bleeding Love is number one for the seventh week – but its sales, understandably, fell to 29,616 last week – the lowest tally for a number one single for 11 weeks. Its overall sales rise to 691,842

Bleeding Love has now spent seven weeks at number one, longer than any previous single by a British female solo artist, and is the longest-reigning number one credited to a female solo artist of any nationality since Cher’s Believe spent seven weeks at number one in 1998.


An avalanche of seasonal songs blankets the chart, helping the singles market to remain healthy, with sales climbing 2.5% to 1,659,043

Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You - originally a number two hit in 1994 – leads the way, advancing 23-8 on sales of 13,284.

Altogether 13 Christmas-themed songs are now in the Top 75 - up from just five a week ago.

The only new 2007 recording among them is The Killers’ Don’t Shoot Me Santa, which debuts at number 44 on sales of 3,594.

The oldest are It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year by Andy Williams – up 43-25 on sales of 5,418 - which was recorded in 1963, and made its chart debut a fortnight ago; It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas, a 1951 Perry Como recording which charts for the first time ever this week, debuting at number 71 on sales of 2,365; and Bing Crosby’s White Christmas, which arrives at number 61 on sales of 2,719, more than 65 years after it was recorded. That makes it the oldest recording ever to chart.

Finally, the latest singles format is Vinyl CD, which makes its bow courtesy of Deathcar, the new single by former Busted star Charlie Simpson’s hard rock vehicle, Fightstar. The release, which is also housed in a sleeve signed by the band’s members, is a CD on one side, and vinyl on the other. It hasn’t excited record buyers, and debuts at number 92 on sales of 1,751, 1,498 of the on VinylCD.

Credit/Source: Music Week / Haven

By Ruth Pott-Negrine

A WestLife fan had the shock of her life when the Irish pop stars burst onto a stage to interrupt the tribute band she was watching.

The woman was taken by her fiance to Brafield Working Men's Club in Brafield-on-the-Green, on the promise of seeing a tribute to the popular Irish four-piece.

But the club had been taken over by an ITV camera crew from the programme Superfan, to surprise the lucky lady.

Club secretary Brenda McMahon said: "The tribute band were playing and were very good, but then halfway through the real Westlife came in, pushed them off the stools and stepped in themselves.

"She nearly passed out. They presented her with flowers and gave her a kiss."

The band appeared at the club at a night which had only been publicised in Brafield-on-the-Green.

Mrs McMahon said: "The club was full with lots of friends and our regulars.

"Westlife only did the one song, but the tribute band stayed on until about 9pm. When they came on the whole place erupted.

"Lots of people were texting and ringing their friends so the band had to make a quick getaway. We put a security man on the door because of all the people."

The idea for Superfan was dreamed up Mrs McMahon's god daughter, who is a producer at ITV.

She said the show had been "quite exciting", adding she had kept it secret from everyone in the village for three weeks.

She added: "They were very nice lads, really nice people.

"It was really nice to meet them - but I wish it could have been Tom Jones."

The show will be screened on Saturday, December 15.

Credit/Source: www.northantset.co.uk

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